Course Descriptions

EG 101 Composition I

Composition I is designed to help students strengthen their writing, reading, discussion, and critical thinking skills through an intensive introduction to rhetoric-- the art of communicating effectively. The course also provides students with introductions to library research for academic purposes, as well as the the roles and responsibilities of being a successful student at Emporia State University.

EG 102 Composition II

Composition II is a continuation of Composition I with a greater emphasis on academic research, persuasive writing and argumentation, analysis and synthesis of sources, and effective documentation. The course asks students to write longer, more critical essays while continuing to practice the skills of rhetoric (the art of communicating effectively) and applying these skills in varied academic writing situations, tasks, and genres.

Basic Writing is an important first step in ESU's Freshman Composition program for those who may feel underprepared for Composition I. Upon fulfilling the requirements in this course, you will go on to Composition I and II. Students will be expected to exercise and improve their writing abilities by completing a variety of written assignments. Writing instruction will be accompanied by discussion based on daily reading assignments. These discussions are meant to help students familiarize themselves with the college classroom and, more importantly, with ideas, opinions, and strategies that they can use while writing their essays. Students should also expect periodic grammar lessons and occasional grammar quizzes. Much of the class time will be devoted to practice using the work shop method.

Writing Project Descriptions

Writing Projects in EG 101

Writing Project 1: Literacy Narrative. WP1, the literacy narrative, is a way to ease into the semester with a fun type of personal yet analytical writing that also requires skills that will be useful in future projects. You will reflect on a personal literacy learning experience and then write a narrative essay providing a detailed description of the experience (and its relevance to you as a college student) for an audience who may be unfamiliar with an experience like yours.

Writing Project 2: Rhetorical Analysis. WP2 extends the skills of careful observation and critical description from the first project. The rhetorical analysis will require you to consider a feature-length article from a magazine or journal-- or you might use a TED Talk. You will then write an analysis essay describing the rhetorical situation (e.g., purpose, audience, stance, context) and the rhetorical devices (e.g., ethos, pathos, logos, kairos) used the article, and then you will evaluate these techniques based on the audience of the article. You will practice rhetorical analysis in the weeks leading up to the WP2 due date using a visual/print advertisements (e.g., magazine ad, billboard, commercial), before moving to an article.

Writing Project 3:“Writing for Change” Multi-Source Essay. WP3 asks you to transform yourself into a positive force, or agent, for change. You will select a problem or social issue that you care about and sketch out a possible solution to that problem using research from multiple sources (that undoubtedly have various viewpoints and stakeholders). You do not have to solve your chosen problem or issue by the end of your essay; however, you are simply arguing for the reasons why your chosen proposed solution is a feasible one. This multi-source essay will empower you to weigh multiple opinions and viewpoints to come to a proposed solution.

Writing Project 4: Career Analysis and Multi-Source Inquiry. WP4, the career analysis project, requires you to choose a career (preferably one that you’re considering for yourself) as a topic and put your critical reading and investigation skills to work with new research skills that will be discussed in class. This research will include an interview with professor or practicing professional in your career. The final expository essay combines the results from your interview with researched information from multiple sources, providing an in-depth view of a career, including necessary education, useful skills/traits, and responsibilities.

Writing Project 5: Reflective Cover Letter and Portfolio. WP5 is the final project of the semester. It asks that you consider your work over the course of the semester, turning those critical reading and rhetorical skills inward to examine your own progress as a writer. The resulting reflective letter and portfolio will also allow you to comment on and showcase the rough and final drafts of WP3 in specific ways. You will organize this project using the set of reflection questions you have encountered throughout the entire semester.

Writing Projects in EG 102

Writing Project 1: Extended Summary. WP1 will refresh your critical reading skills from Composition I by engaging with a text; however, here, you will only be reporting, as accurately as possible, the ideas of the author in your own words. This one-source extended summary essay will be based on one of the sources that you will use in projects 2-4.

Writing Project 2: Annotated Bibliography with Critical Introduction. WP2 asks you to use your summarization skills from the first project. You will further investigate a topic of your choosing (there will be some restrictions; we’ll talk about topic selection in class). You will then construct an annotated bibliography of multiple sources on this topic that you will use in projects 3-4. In addition, you will begin to synthesize major ideas from these disparate sources in a critical introduction to your topic. The intro will allow you to discuss how sources connect with one another to paint a picture of an ongoing conversation on academic, professional, or social issues surrounding your topic. You will be expected to use direct quotes and paraphrases.

Writing Project 3:Multi-Source Research Essay. WP3, the research paper, is the most common academic assignment, especially in upper division courses. Using your understanding of the topic gained through your annotated bib and critical introduction, you will take a stance on one controversial issue that you’ve identified in your topic, using your rhetorical skills to craft an academic argument. This argument will use sources from your bibliography (and potentially some new sources) to present evidence and reasoning to support a position in this multi-source persuasive research paper.

Writing Project 4: Multimodal Project Based on Research Essay. WP4 is brand-new for this academic year. You will take your WP3, the persuasive research essay, and repackage it in a way that encourages you to develop your visual and digital literacy. The genre of this fourth writing project may take many forms (e.g., a podcast, a PowerPoint presentation, an informative video or handout), depending on your chosen topic and the intended audience. As such, this multimodal project will ask you to use various techniques to supplement the text you have written in WP3 in a new and meaningful way.

Writing Project 5: Reflective Cover Letter and Portfolio. WP5 is the final project of the semester. It asks that you consider your work over the course of the semester, turning those critical reading and rhetorical skills inward to examine your own progress as a writer. The resulting reflective letter and portfolio will also allow you to comment on and showcase the rough and final drafts of WP3 in specific ways. You will organize this project using the set of reflection questions you have encountered throughout the entire semester. While the requirements of this project are exactly the same as those in the Composition I courses here at ESU, you should focus on your experiences in Composition II for the content of this letter.